New Year’s New England Style

I had probably one of the best New Year’s Eves ever. Staying in, for me, on big nights like New Year’s is so much more fun than going out, dealing with taxi lines, crowds, pre-made, overpriced, fixed menus, and the bitter cold and snow. That just made me sound old, I realize, but its true. I’ve spent past New Years in New York City running a midnight race, in packed bars in Galway and Amsterdam, and staying home is far more pleasant though I guess less exciting that those other things.

The day started out great. Everyone in the office was in such a festive mood. It may not have been the most productive work day we have ever had, but I think the late nights and weekends in 2009 made up for that.

We had a 2:00 office closing, and my plan was to run 11 miles and to end up at home. At around 11 it started snowing and didn’t stop. Sitting in my cozy office, drinking tea and looking at the snow, all I wanted to do was to call my hubs, have him pick me up, and go home to start our celebrations.

BUT I knew that if I did that, I would have to do my long run at some other point during the weekend, and getting it done early on feels so much better. So I put on all of my running gear: Adidas running tights, a tank top, long sleeve wicking top, wind breaker, headband, and gloves. This may not seem like a lot, but this is my basic winter formula, and I am always warm until the very end when I walk a couple of blocks for recovery.

Starting out my run and for the first hour, I was pelted in the eyes by icy snow. The sidewalks were mostly un-shoveled which turned out to be a good thing. The snow was like running in sand which made the workout a little better, but it wasn’t slippery. It was actually worse where people did shovel, leaving a very thin, wet layer of iciness.

I ran with a smile on my face for the entire run, and I got a LOT of crazy looks, some people pointing, and some even laughing. I heard a mother say to her child “Now that’s crazy”. And I smiled the whole time. I made sure to include the last mile of the Boston Marathon in my route so that I could cruise over the finish line and remember why I am training in the snow.

I made it home, feeling great, after about 10.5 miles and was greeted by a smiling and slightly worried husband who was happy to see that I had not slipped or fallen.

After some stretching and a long hot bath, we got down to making dinner. The menu for the evening included Harpoon IPA, fresh Island Creek oysters with mignonette and cocktail sauce,a baguette, lobster rolls, Chateau St. Michelle Frizzante, and Home Foods walnut fudge brownies.

The snow made for a nice outdoor chilling area for the bubbly and oysters.

Mmm and soft potato rolls made the base for our lobster rolls.

Meaty lobster tails were a gift from my mom the last time we were in NJ. They were tender and sweet.

We cooked dinner by the light of our Christmas tree listening to the New York Philharmonic playing live on TV.

Our lobster rolls were inspired by a recipe I received from Jacob’s Creek and were as easy as it gets. I mixed steamed lobster meat with butter, separated it on to potato rolls and added a drizzle of melted butter to each.

For our second course, we shucked Island Creek oysters and ate them with a mignonette made of red wine vinegar, chopped shallots, and cracked black pepper. I finished my meal off with a couple of pieces of baguette dipped in the mignonette. Oh how I love vinegar.

We had a delicious, sort of fancy, New England-y meal at home then started watching Mad Men for the first time. I have watched three episodes so far and well, I know a lot of people love it but I find it really slow. I also find that I want to punch each and every character in the face. I think the DVD’s will be returned to Netflix on Monday and the rest will be removed from my queue.

I fell asleep around 11:40, woke up to say Happy New Year to my hubs and my sister, and conked out again. Maybe not the most exciting New Year’s Eve ever, but definitely the most delicious and one I woke up from feeling rested and ready for a long weekend!